The city’s Third Ward is steeped in history and now, thanks in part to the Greater Southeast Management District (Houston Southeast), a 4-mile stretch of that history will be getting a much-needed infusion of cash.

Once part of a more than 50-mile rail line in the 1850s built by enslaved Black men to transport sugar and cotton from Brazoria County plantations to Houston’s port, the Columbia Tap was a thriving line. After Emancipation, it was used to transport Black convict lease laborers to those same plantations. But, like many abandoned rail lines, the tracks were eventually pulled up and it wasn’t until the mid-20 century when the rail to trail movement spread across the Midwest that people began to use the trail as a hike and bike path.

“The Columbia Tap Trail has a complex history, initially neglected and subject to environmental racism,” Ed Pettitt of Friends of Columbia Tap told VoyageHouston earlier this year. “However, residents took initiative in 1986, cleaning up a section and establishing the Texas AIDS Memorial Garden. In 1999, the City of Houston acquired the railway corridor, leading to the development of the Columbia Tap Hike and Bike Trail.”

In October, Houston Southeast, as project sponsor, announced a $7.5 million investment for safety and infrastructure improvements along the Columbia Tap Trail. This investment was made possible via a grant award from the Houston-Galveston Area Council and in collaboration with District D Councilmember Dr. Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, District I Councilmember Joaquin Martinez, East Downtown Management District, East Downtown Redevelopment Authority (TIRZ 15), and the OST-Almeda Corridors Redevelopment Authority (TIRZ 7), under the leadership of the City of Houston.

“This investment in the Columbia Tap Trail is a significant step toward improving connectivity, safety, and infrastructure in the heart of District D,” said District D Councilwoman Dr. Carolyn Evans-Shabazz. “I want to thank Mayor John Whitmire for prioritizing this project and ensuring it is part of his administration’s commitment to equitable development. Special thanks also go to Randy Macchi from Houston Public Works for his leadership in pushing this forward, as well as the Houston Southeast Team and our East Downtown partners for their dedicated collaboration in making this vision a reality.”

Dr. Abdul Haleem Muhammad, Transportation and Local Mobility Chair for Houston Southeast echoed those sentiments and maintained the stance that “This is the outcome of strategic, collective and focused work. Organizations like the Friends of Columbia Tap, keep us connected to issues that impact the trail. The District is focused on creating solutions and this opportunity to partner with the Houston-Galveston Area Council and other local partners to fund the critical improvements along the Columbia Tap Trail, was strategically necessary for Third Ward and the connections to East Downtown. The Greater Southeast Management District is certain that these improvements will enhance safety and the overall experience for cyclists and pedestrians and the broader community.”

The grant will provide for safer trails, with better lighting, beautification projects, and improved street crossings.

by Marene Gustin

Photo credits:
Houston Southeast
Texas Transportation Archive (map)